Congregation

From May to July 2023, I traveled across England with a crew of 8 students and 4 faculty members from my University filming a documentary, called "Congregation". We met with people from faith communities across the country. We tried to find stories of light and beauty, and to discover the power that comes from groups of ordinary people gathering to worship together in sacred spaces.

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The film is far from being done - we shot a lot of footage during the 9 weeks we were there, and the editing team is still hard at work piecing the stories together. 

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These 2 videos are not indicative of the final project. The first video is simply a highlight reel of some my favorite shots that I personally captured. The other students all shot amazing footage as well that is not depicted here. I edited the second video in order to experiment with the style of the finished film, and to get an idea of what it may look like. I paired footage we shot of a wheat field with audio from an interview we had with a leader of a church in England. The final film may look vastly different. 

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My time in England truly changed my life. It was demanding work - our schedule forced many early mornings and late nights taking trains from city to village. I can not wait until the film is complete and we can share all the beauty we saw in those English churches and in the people who worship in them; whether it was a tiny chapel or a soaring cathedral, the walls echoed with prayers of generations of worshipers.